A Hidden Desire
by Comet96
Summary: Calliope Flynn moves to Forks after the death of her parents, being pushed out of her comfort zone moving from Ireland, but at least she's managed to make a good friend out of Bella. Things seem to be going well for her until she meets Edward and his family. Why does it suddenly feel like things are changing? Edward/OC
1. Chapter 1

**This is an Edward/OC story. I have nothing against Bella, but I've had so many thoughts about Edward getting with someone else, and I believe that the story would be different if he fell for someone that wasn't Bella. The timeline will also be slightly different in this story to go with my plot.**

 **There will be no Bella bashing in this story. Bella and my OC, Calliope are good friends, so there will be a lot of Bella in this story.**

 **Please leave a comment/review if there's anything you wish to say etc. we all know how the reviews work.**

 **Please enjoy and I'm sorry in advance for any mistakes made within this story.**

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 **Edited: 23-04-20**

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Loneliness is something we all eventually come across. Each person experiences it in a different way but at the same time, we all feel the same thing. It could start from a loss, someone taken from you, never to return. Or, it could be your personality that stops others from befriending you or accepting you.

There could also be a possibility that you're one of those people that enjoys being alone, a loner. All these reasons don't matter in the end. Loneliness will eventually reach you, sucking you in until you suffocate.

And that's how I felt now.

Lonely.

Moving across the world would do that to you.

There was an ocean between my old home and my new one. There was also an ocean between me and my brothers.

After the accident, all six overbearing brothers thought it was a good idea to ship me off to our grandmother in America, so they wouldn't have to deal with me. It wasn't that reason they sent me off, I was just being a typical teenage girl when I thought that.

I knew that my brothers love me, but after the death of our parents I knew that none of them would be able to care for me the way Nana would. It had been my decision, after all, to move all the way to America from Ireland. I had chosen this.

I hadn't hurt my brothers with this choice, they all wanted what was best for me after the intense weeks in the hospital. I hadn't been coping well after the accident and I knew being with Nana in Forks would somehow help me. It was a feeling I got in the pit of my stomach that had me calling our grandmother in Forks, Washington, asking her if I could move in.

And now, three weeks later, I was fresh out of Ireland and in a remote little town in Washington, America.

It had been two days since I landed in Seattle, Friday evening, allowing myself the weekend to adjust before starting at Forks High School the following Monday; today.

"Bella's waiting for you," Nana told me as soon as my feet touched the wooden floor of the hallway. Bella Swan, our neighbour and my ride to school. I had met her and Charlie on Saturday, the two of them coming over for dinner.

Bella was new herself, having arrived only two weeks before me. It was my Nana's idea to pair the two of us off together and Charlie agreed. Bella was a very lovely girl, I shared many things in common with her; our clumsy behaviour was one of the many things that would bring us closer. Her love for books was another.

"Okay," I mumbled, shoving my arms into the army jacket that once belonged to my eldest brother. It did me a wonderful service by keeping me warm, but it was also a comfort to have one of my brothers close.

"I want you to try today," she added, handing me my backpack, pressing a gentle kiss on my head.

"I will Nana," I sighed, knowing she was talking about my lack of friends back in Ireland. Yes, I had friends, but I had never been close to any of them and after the accident, they all seemed to vanish.

The only friend I had been close to throughout my childhood and continuing my teenage years, had moved to England two years previous, though nothing stopped me and Holly from emailing ever since, along with the occasional phone call.

"Calliope, sweetheart, I know this is hard, moving here, after the accident, but I want you to know that I'm happy you decided to come." Her words were so pure with the truth, they managed to bring a soft smile to my lips. She was truly a sweet soul – well that's what she would say anyway.

"I know Nana, I'm happy to be here as well," I told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek as I swung my bag on my back. "I should go, I don't want to keep Bella waiting." I gave her one last smile before slipping out the front door.

"I'll see you after school, Row," Nana called out, following me to the door as she watched me make my way to Bella. I smiled at her nickname and I knew she did it to make me loosen up. While I loved my name, I mostly went by nicknames from my middle name, Rowena.

Bella was parked on the curb outside the house, her big orange truck purring … more like coughing as she waited. She gave me a small smile as I opened the passenger door, sliding in.

"Hey," she mumbled, pulling the truck away from the house and down the road.

"Hey, sorry if I kept you waiting." I apologised already knowing she didn't mind. After getting to know her over the last two days I knew she would be pretty relaxed about this. "Nana was just making sure I'd be okay."

"I know what you mean," she muttered, giving me a side look as she turned a corner. "She was over at our house on my first day as well, making sure I was ready and asking me to make some friends," she explained when I frowned at her previous words.

"That sounds like her," I mumbled under my breath as I looked out the window, watching as the trees and houses passed.

I was hoping everything would go well today. I didn't want to stick out like the shiny new toy, but I knew that's what would happen. The high school came into view and Bella pulled the truck to a standstill in the parking lot.

"I think you're gonna be fine," she assured me, grabbing her bag from between us on the bench seat before slipping from the truck. Taking in a deep breath I copied her movements, getting out of the truck, bag in hand.

I could do this.

As soon as the door shut behind me, I could feel their eyes on me. It's like they had never seen a new student before, even though Bella turned up two weeks ago. I glanced around, taking in all their eyes, before looking to Bella as she made her way to me. She had just reached my side when a commotion from across the parking lot caught my attention.

There stood the most beautiful people I had ever seen. Five of them, all looking gorgeous in the dull place I now call my home.

Two females and three males.

I couldn't call them girls and boys because … well, they weren't children. Hell, they didn't even look like teenagers, more like gods. Was this really Forks I had turned up in and not heaven? Had I really died in that accident?

The reason they caught my eye was because of the youngest looking male. While he was no doubt the most beautiful male in my eyes, the way he was acting, so feral, his face in a snarl, trying to escape the grip of the other males, he scared me.

His eyes were on me and even from across the parking lot I could see that they were a black abyss. Anger, as I had never seen before, was washing out his eyes as he tried to escape.

What was he doing? Was he … was he trying to get to … me?

Within the space of ten seconds, he was gone, speeding away in the silver Volvo.

"That's the Cullen's," Bella told me, taking my arm gently as she led me into the main building. "They keep to themselves most of the time."

"What was wrong with that guy?" I asked her, picturing the god in my head, a flutter spreading through my womb at the thought of the bronzed-haired god. Oh no, he'd already exploded my ovaries and I'd only caught a brief glimpse of him.

"Edward?" she tested out the name obviously not sure if it was him I was talking about. Hell, I didn't even know who he was. If that was the name of my bronzed-haired god, then yes, Edward. "He kind of spazzes out every so often."

"What?" So, she had me confused. What did she mean by spazzes out?

"Jess thinks he's bipolar. So, what if the guy can go through seven emotions within thirty seconds, maybe he's in touch with his feminine side." She was getting defensive as if she was having this conversation with this Jess chick. "I mean they're all weird really if you compare them to the rest of the school. Just because Edward and Alice stand out the most, doesn't mean you have to start suggesting they have mental disorders."

"I'm not really following you anymore, Bella," I told her, stopping her before her rant could go any further. Whoever this Jess was, I don't think I want to meet her.

"They're just different from us. Alice gets these blank looks a lot as if she zones out completely, and Edward always seems to know everything without even speaking to anyone. And they all have this effect on people, even though they don't speak outside their group," she explained, pushing open the office door where I would be getting my timetable.

"You seem to know a lot about them," I mumbled, watching as her face turned red causing her to duck her head.

"I've just heard a lot about them for the last two weeks and I find it fascinating to watch them." She stopped in front of the desk where a plump, red-head sat. "Ms Cope, I've got the new girl here, Calliope Flynn," Bella announced, gaining the lady's attention as she looked up from her computer.

"Oh, another red-head. I always get excited to see someone with the same colour as me," Ms Cope exclaimed, standing from her desk as she leaned forward, her elbows resting on the wooden desk separating us. "Although your hair's more ginger than mine," she added, twisting her finger around a strand of her dark auburn hair.

"It's very beautiful," I told her, feeling the manners Nana told me to use, come out. Her cheeks shone with a blush as she waved her hand, giving me a small smile.

"You're very sweet, Calliope," she told me, clicking away at her computer giving me a smile that was warm and friendly.

"Callie will be fine," I told her when she used my full name. No one called me Calliope.

I never really liked it, rather being called Callie or Row. My brothers all called me Ronnie, a nickname they picked up when I was younger and wanted to change my name to match Donnie's.

"Okay, sorry, Callie," she mumbled, quickly rushing off to the printer, no doubt getting my timetable. She came back over, handing me the timetable. "I won't bother with a map, Bella's in all the same classes as you. She might as well show you around." I took the timetable from her, looking down at the sheet in front of me.

"Actually, Ms Cope, I'm already fluent in Spanish, my grandmother spoke with the Principal, I was meant to be taking Art in replacement of it," I explained, pointing to the mistake on the timetable.

There was no way I was taking another year and a half of Spanish if I had my way. This American system was so different from the United Kingdom's. This place was more like a sixth form really.

"Oh, sorry dear." She flushed with embarrassment that she got it wrong. "Would you be okay taking your Spanish lessons as a free period until I can get it sorted for you?" she asked, seeming hesitant to ask me the question.

It wasn't like I was going to shout at her for getting it wrong.

"It should be fine," I told her, smiling sweetly, making sure she didn't feel bad about the mistake. After all the systems were different from back home.

I was halfway through my first year of college but had to transfer back into a school system when we moved out here. It was all very confusing when Nana tried to explain it, but I just went along with it.

I couldn't really complain, after all, I was the one that decided to come here, I should have to put up with the consequences.

"Make sure you get this signed by all your teachers," she said, handing me a transfer form before ushering us off. "Have a nice day girls."

"You too," I replied as Bella led us out of the office.

Trigonometry was the first lesson of the day. God, I could already tell I wasn't going to enjoy this. I hated anything to do with mathematics.

"What was with the whole 'Call me Callie' thing?" Bella asked as we made our way into the hall. "Do you not like Calliope?" I knew where she was coming from. Why make such a big deal out of it, but I could tell she understood. She was Isabella Swan, but everyone here called her Bella.

"I have no problem with the name, my mum was the only one that called me by my full name. It still hurts to be called that because it reminds me of her. I just introduce myself as Callie now, it saves the pain I have to feel every time someone uses my full name," I explained, shrugging my shoulders as if it was no big deal. "My brothers call me Ronnie though. It's a little family joke as I was obsessed with my brother Donnie growing up and wanted a name to match him. My Nana and everyone back in Ireland called me Row after my middle name." I smiled at the thought of my brothers but stopped when I caught the look Bella was giving me. "What?"

"You must love having such caring brothers," she said and I got a sense of longing from her.

"I do but they can get far too protective for my liking. I've never had a boyfriend because they scare them off," I informed her, slowing down with her as we approached the door for our first class. She smiled at the thought before her brows furrowed and she turned to me an uncertain look on her face.

"What do you want me to call you?" she asked, looking a little lost now that she knew this about me. She looked like she was struggling to think of what to call me.

"Callie's fine, or you can call me Row," I stated, following her into the class as she took me to the teacher, Mr Varner. He gave me a frown, taking the paper from my hand, signing it and grunting for me to take a seat next to Bella. I hid the look of surprise from my face as I took a seat next to my friend.

"He's always like that," she mumbled, obviously seeing the look on my face.

As I settled next to her, pen in hand and notebook ready I thought that maybe I could get used to this, having her as a friend. She seemed different from all the girls I had known back in Ireland, she had already accepted me and my history without asking for details like some people would. I just hoped it would stay like that. I didn't need to be interrogated by my friends.

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Lunch was how I predicted it to be. The friends Bella had made during the last two weeks accepted me at their table, asking constant questions about my move here. A whisper from Bella allowed me to know that they had been the same as her.

"Is it different being here?" the girl on Bella's left asked, interrupting me from my thoughts. I caught her blue gaze and remembered that this was the infamous Jessica that spoke and thought badly of the Cullen's.

"The weather's the same, slightly warmer than back home, but I love it here. The forest behind my house is truly amazing. To be so close to nature … it feels as if I was supposed to be here all along," I told her, a content smile forming on my lips at the thought of the wooded area behind my house.

I had always enjoyed being close to nature, it relaxed me. I think it was because I enjoyed the honesty it provided and didn't present me with a phony front.

"Why did you move here?" her question had my heart hammering in my chest, a slow sweat threatening to burst across my body.

Bella's hand on mine under the table made me relax slightly. She knew about the accident, I had told her about it Sunday evening, feeling she could be trusted with this part of my life.

She had taken it better than I thought, giving me comfort when I really needed it. She had already become such a close friend within these short three days. I knew I would have been close to her after spending most of my Saturday with her.

She was much like me and I knew I would prefer her company to the other students here in Forks.

"Stop asking me questions," I spat at her, not caring if it was rude. I didn't want to answer the questions she was supplying as if she ruled over me.

Her eyes widened at my response before they clouded over, and she mutely nodded her head, turning away and starting up a conversation with the girl, Angela, next to her.

Angela, who was in both mine and Bella's Trigonometry, English and Biology II classes, gave me a sympathetic smile as she turned her attention back to Jessica.

"So, Ireland," that was Mike Newton, a blond boy that Bella told me acted like a golden Labrador puppy whenever a new girl gained his interest. I had seen him following her around in the hallway before I caught his attention. "You got a boyfriend back home?" He was sitting right next to me, his breath hitting my face as he leaned in close. I inched to my left, getting close to Bella as his intense stare made me freeze.

Something in the pit of my stomach told me that his actions towards me were disgusting and unwanted. I knew they weren't wanted, but something was telling me that there was someone else out there that wasn't happy about them either.

"I would appreciate it if you gave me my space, perhaps you could move to the other end of the table," I requested, locking my green eyes with his blue ones as I spoke.

He nodded his head slowly, his clouded eyes unblinking as he took his tray and bag, moving to sit at the opposite end of the table by two other boys, Eric and Tyler.

"Wow," Bella remarked, leaning on the table with her elbow as she looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"What?" I mumbled, tugging my ginger curls lightly as they cascaded over my breasts, resting on my lap. I should really get my hair cut shorter but I could only remember how proud and happy my mum looked when I managed to grow it this long. I knew she had long hair when she was my age, but as she reminded me it never got like mine.

"I've never seen either Mike or Jess actually do what was asked before," she told me, playing with the salad in front of her. "I asked them to stop bothering me my first week and they didn't listen. You've been here five minutes, asked them both to back off and they've done as you asked." She peered at me carefully, taking in my appearance before smiling. "What superpower do you hold?" she teased, biting into a carrot stick.

"I have six older brothers, Bella. I know how to get what I want," I stated, pulling my hair over my left shoulder, braiding it as I glanced around the room.

My eyes settled on the four Cullen's that were still at school. The dark-haired female caught my attention first, giving me a bright smile as my eyes locked with her gold ones. What a strange eye colour. Maybe she wore contacts?

"That's Alice," Bella informed me, her eyes no doubt following my gaze. "The blonde guy next to her is Jasper. The dark-haired male is Emmett and the blonde female is Rosalie." I looked to each of them at her words, taking in their beauty once more before glancing back to Alice.

She looked as if she knew something I didn't with the way she kept smiling brightly at me.

The bell sounding through the cafeteria reminded me that this day had yet to finish.

"You ready for Biology?" Angela asked as she looked over to me and Bella, unsure if I would accept her. I guess she had seen the way I had acted with Mike after the Jess incident.

"Sure," I answered, giving her a smile as she led the way to our science class. I didn't want her to think I disliked her as I did her two friends. "I'm sorry about earlier, Angela," I whispered, wanting her to know that my rude behaviour wasn't directed at her.

"Don't worry, I can't blame you. Jess can be a bit –" she left her sentence, unsure of what to say that would sound nice about her friend.

"I've met girls like her before," I said, letting her know I knew what she meant without her having to say it and speak badly about her friend.

When we entered the class, Mr Banner handed me a textbook, telling me to sit with Bella at her station today.

"Edward normally sits with me, but he doesn't speak," she informed me as she took what I assumed was her normal seat.

"Where is Edward? Is he back?" I asked, thinking about the boy. I hadn't seen him since this morning, was it usual for him to skip class?

"I don't know, the Cullen's sometimes disappear, and it doesn't seem to bother the teachers." She shrugged, pulling out her notebook and pen, urging that I do the same thing. "I think I prefer you as a partner already," she joked as I took the seat closest to the window, pulling out my notebook.

I gave her a smile wanting to reply but stopped myself as Mr Banner started the class. Anything I wish to say to Bella could be said on our way home. She was my neighbour, after all, it wasn't like she lived miles away from me.

Just thinking about home, made me miserable when I realised I still had a couple of hours left at school. I knew already that this evening was going to be better than school, Nana had invited Charlie and Bella round for dinner once again.

I could already tell that this was probably going to be a regular thing. I think I was happy about that. Having Bella around made it feel like I had been here for years.

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Thank you for reading xx


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you enjoy the story.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think.**

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 **Edited: 23-04-20**

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I found the first week passed quickly, Bella keeping me company throughout and after school. As I had thought, Nana had been making dinner for the two members at the Swan residence.

Now that Charlie knew Bella wouldn't be stuck on her own in the evenings he - according to Nana - went back to his usual shift at work. Eight till eight.

That meant Bella would be in the house alone, but we both knew Nana wouldn't allow it. Most evenings were therefore either spent at the Swan house until dinner or lounging about in the living area doing homework.

Dinner would always be served exactly at fifteen minutes past seven, food consumed, and the dishes washed and away at seven-fifty the latest and Bella and I would walk to hers, dinner in hand for Charlie.

That's how he found us the very first Friday evening after my first week at school. Bella kicked back on the sofa while I sprawled out on the floor, both of us engaged in our horrid trigonometry homework.

"Evening girls," Charlie called to us, the sound of the microwave announcing that he was warming up his food.

"Hey Dad," Bella called back, sounding distracted by the work she was focusing on.

"Good day at work, Charlie?" I asked the man as he leaned on the door frame looking in on us. I could tell that he was happy that I got along with Bella so well and vice versa. If she was happy, he was too.

"Same old stuff, nothing to worry about," he assured me, giving me the same small smile he gave every night when I asked about work. If anything was wrong he'd let us know. Charlie wasn't one to allow any harm or danger come to Bella and by that extent me. "What are you two working on?"

"Trigonometry," we both told him, the excitement clearly showing in our tone. I saw him grimace as he turned to the kitchen, the microwave beeping, giving him an escape.

"Sounds ... exciting," he mumbled from the kitchen, causing me to smile as I glanced back down at my book.

"You want to go into town tomorrow?" Bella asked, snapping her textbook shut as she dropped her feet to the floor, looking down at me.

"I did have plans with Nana, but she's been asked to go into work now, so yeah, sounds like a plan," I told her, grabbing my stuff off the floor and giving her a smile. "Will you knock on me before you plan to go? Being a Saturday, I'll probably want to stay in."

"Yeah, want me to drive?" She didn't have to ask the question. We both knew I wouldn't be getting behind the wheel of any car for a while. Not after the accident.

"Of course, I haven't gotten my license yet," I answered, giving them both another smile before slipping out of the house.

Although the walk was a small one, I couldn't help but feel on edge as I crossed the distance that kept my house from Bella's.

It was like someone was watching me.

My eyes trailed to the woods behind our houses, trying to see if I could find the reason for my unease. A soft kiss of wind had me shaking my head and rushing towards my house, rolling my eyes at my silly behaviour.

With one last glance across the street, I opened the door and entered the warm home that has been mine for a week.

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"Is there anywhere you want to go?" Bella asked as we pulled up to The Lodge, where we'd be meeting Charlie for lunch before making our way around town.

The town itself was small, reminding me of the little village I lived in back in Ireland. A few corner shops that sold little bits and bobs, a grocery store, a bank, a large building Bella pointed out as the library, and city hall.

Not many shops to choose from but Bella had mentioned one or two little charity shops that sold decent clothes.

"Not really, maybe the library," I said, joining her at the table as she gave a soft wave to Rhonda, the owner of The Lodge. "I was thinking maybe we could go into Port Angeles next weekend or something. I'd love to get a few new books or do some shopping, I need some new clothes."

"You need new clothes?" she questioned, her face showing that she didn't believe me. I gave her a smile, chuckling as I ducked my head, hiding my blushing cheeks.

"Okay, so I may want some new clothes, but I definitely want to buy some new books as well," I told her, grabbing a menu as Charlie walked into the diner, joining us at the table.

"You girls' been up to much today?" he asked as Rhonda gave him a wave as she went and served a few customers.

"We would have been around town already if someone didn't oversleep." Bella gave me a pointed look as I ducked behind my menu. I scrunched up a napkin and threw it at her as I peered at her over the menu hiding me from her. "Oi," she cried out, ducking down as the napkin landed in her lap.

"That's enough girls," Charlie warned as Bella went to throw the napkin back at me. I could tell from the chuckle in his voice that he didn't mind. He was probably happy to see Bella and I got on so well.

"We're gonna pop into the library later but I'm excited to go to Port Angeles next weekend." I paused as Bella gave me a look. Perhaps I should ask Charlie if it's alright first. "Is that okay with you, Charlie? If we go to Port Angeles next week?"

I knew he wasn't my father, but he would appreciate it if I asked him. Especially if Bella was involved.

"I don't see the problem, as long as you let me check your truck beforehand, Bella," he added, glancing at the big orange beast in the car park.

"My truck's fine!" Bella defended, crossing her arms as I chuckled at her defensive tone. Her truck was one of a kind, that's for sure.

* * *

"So, Edward's back," Jess announced as she met up with us in the hallway on our way to the café.

She had been quite distant with me since the first beat down I gave her, as Bella called it.

Although I was happy to hear about Edward's return, I couldn't help but feel disappointed as well.

"Does this mean you'll be getting him back as a lab partner?" I asked Bella, pouting at the news that could part us in biology. Bella rolled her eyes at me before giving me a sympathetic look. "What?"

"Mr Banner actually mentioned that he was going to partner you up with him," she mumbled quietly as if she didn't want me to hear her.

"Why?" I questioned, not understanding where she was coming from. She had been Edward's partner for two weeks before I came and now Mr Banner wanted to swap partners around.

"He kind of saw how well the two of us being partners worked out when we sat there for two weeks not talking."

"But who will you partner up with?" I asked, knowing there was no one else in the room for her to work with. She shrugged and I knew she didn't really care. Bella would rather work by herself, to be honest. "There's enough room on our table for the three of us. I'll ask if you can sit with us. I'm sure Edward won't mind working as a three," I suggested not wanting her to work by herself because I was being partnered up with her lab partner.

"You can ask then," she grumbled, pushing open the café door as the three of us slipped in. Surprisingly Jess hadn't said a word during the conversation, just listened.

My eyes landed on him immediately, but it wasn't because I was looking for him. The reason I found him was because he slammed his fists against the table with such force the bang echoed through the room.

He was hunched over as he spat something to his siblings before leaving the café by the push door that led outside.

"I guess moody Edward's back," Jess muttered sounding disappointed over this fact. Why she would care was beyond me, but it reminded me of Bella's words from last week.

"Jess, leave Edward alone. So, he gets a bit moody. At least the guy shows his emotions instead of bottling them up," I warned her, not liking that she was picking on Edward again. Could someone really pick on a guy like Edward though? It was that stupid tingling in the pit of my stomach that had me sticking up for him.

"Sorry," she grunted, quickly rushing off to our table without giving me another look.

I shared a look with Bella, eyebrows raised as I pulled a burger and fries onto my plate. Unlike some people in this school (Jess and Lauren), I enjoyed eating food. I guess it came from having six brothers, but my appetite was very big.

Bella scrunched her nose up at my burger but didn't stop herself from grabbing a bowl of fries and chicken salad. I knew she probably wouldn't eat it all but Nana was working on that one's appetite. Soon she would be eating almost as much as me and be enjoying it.

* * *

"Just one date," Mike begged, following me down the hallway as I tried to outrun him. Bella was leading the way down the hall, trying to find the quickest escape route.

"I said no Mike, I'm not really wanting to experience the whole dating thing," I grumbled, tugging my bag on my shoulder tighter as it tried to slip down my arm. I really didn't want to be bothered by him anymore.

"Mike, leave her alone," Bella seethed, giving him a sharp look as she took hold of my hand, dragging me out the front doors of the building. Mike followed behind us like a little puppy.

"You don't know what you're missing!" he shouted grabbing hold of my arm, stopping Bella from dragging me down the stairs with her.

She was pulling one arm, trying to tug me down the steps with her while he was pulling on the other arm, trying to get me to come to him. I felt like a rag doll being torn between two spoiled children.

I could feel eyes on us now and glance over to the side where Alice, Jasper, and Emmett stood. They looked concerned as if they wanted to step in and stop Mike from pulling on my arm. Emmett kind of looked annoyed and angry at what he was seeing.

Looking away from them I glanced at Mike, raising my eyebrows.

"Mike, let go of me now!" I ordered, feeling his fingers slipping from my wrist as he obeyed my command, his eyes dimming over at my words.

I could feel myself hovering over the top step for a few seconds before my body was pulled by Bella and I toppled down the steps. So that wasn't how I planned on getting away from Mike. Tumbling down concrete steps, smacking my head on the floor in the process.

"Callie!" Bella yelled, stumbling down the steps after me.

Although my vision was blurry I could see the regret and worry on her face. She blamed herself for this. It was obvious by the look on her face. It wasn't her fault, nor Mike's, I guess it was mine.

I could have made sure I had my balance before I asked him to let me go.

"Oh god, you're bleeding," she mumbled, her fingers pressing against the back of my head. I flinched at her touch, feeling the soft, sore spot as she tried to put pressure on the wound.

"Be-Bella," I squeaked out, trying to sit up, only to close my eyes when a wave of dizziness washed over me. "Err," I groaned, feeling sick to my stomach as my head spun in wide circles.

Well, not really, but it sure felt like it. I could feel myself getting cold from lying on the wet floor and shifted closer to Bella, trying to get comfortable when I was lifted from the ground. The movement made me feel sick and I quickly shut my eyes as the school blurred around me.

"Emmett, take her to the nurse," a musical voice ordered, sounding far away as I was taken back to the school. "She's going to have to go to the hospital, the back of her head cracked. She'll be needing a scan." I think it was Alice that said this, but I couldn't dwell on that fact for long as I was taken into the darkness.

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 **Thank you for reading xx**


	3. Chapter 3

****Chapter three as promised. I hope you all enjoy it and I apologise for any spelling mistakes etc.****

 ** **Please review or leave a message if you wish. Thank you for reading xx****

* * *

 ** **Edited: 23-04-20****

* * *

The pain in my head was what woke me. The sharp sting enough to rouse me from the darkness that had taken over when my head hit the ground. I recognised the room I was in to be one from a hospital, perhaps I had spent too much time in places like these the last couple of months.

I panicked at first, my mind going back to the accident but calmed down when I saw Nana perched on the chair beside my bed.

"Hey sweetheart," she mumbled softly, getting up from her chair, pressing a kiss to my head. From the closed blinds at the window and the small light that was on, I could only guess that it was evening. Had I been here that long?

"My head," I mumbled trying to raise my hand to touch the sensitive spot only to stop when the IV tugged at my vein. Oh, I hated needles.

"We're just waiting for the doctor to get back to us," she answered, obviously understanding that I was asking a question.

The thought of something happening to my head once again had my eyes watering. The last time I had a head injury I'd been stuck in the hospital for six weeks, after being in a coma for a month.

I had missed the funeral of my parents, my brothers wanting to get it done quickly so they could focus on me. I wish they would have waited until I could attend, but I knew they did what they thought best.

The door opened then and my hope that it was the doctor was dismissed as a familiar dark-haired girl and a blond boy stepped in.

Alice and Jasper.

I didn't understand what they were doing here, I mean I hadn't spoken to them, barely saying hello to Alice when she sat near me in Art. She was one of the only students I knew in the class, but seeing as the class was so small we basically got a large table to ourselves, there was no need to share.

"Good evening, Jasper, Alice," Nana greeted them, giving them both a smile as they closed the door behind them.

I wondered at first how she knew them, then realised she worked here as a nurse. She worked with Dr Cullen which meant she would have met Alice and Jasper sometime throughout the last couple of years.

"Evening, Cora," Alice chimed, giving her a bright smile as she danced over to me. She did dance, there was no other way to describe the way she moved from the door to me. Jasper had this soft smile on his face, something I had never seen on his face before.

At school, he always looked so tense, like he was in pain all the time. But here, now, he looked relaxed and I kind of liked the smile on his face. It made him look more handsome than I thought before, not that he wasn't handsome to begin with.

"How are you feeling, Callie?" she asked, giving me a smaller smile, but it was just as bright. Could she ever not be happy?

"A bit confused about what happened, but I'm feeling good," I told her, trying to remember what happened, only to get a headache when I pressed on the blurry memory. Alice exchanged a glance with Jasper, the female companion looking slightly worried.

"Well Mike was pestering you about going on a date, you and Bella were making your way down the front steps of the main building. Mike pulled you back then let you go, you lost your balance and fell down the stairs. You managed to miss all the steps with your head, but smacked it on the ground when you landed. Emmett carried you to the nurse's office," she explained, giving a brief explanation of what happened.

I barely understood what she was saying because of the speed she was talking, but I caught up with her words.

"Oh," I mumbled, raising my left hand up to my head, thankful this arm had no needles in it. "How's Bella?" I asked, remembering how panicked she was before I passed out.

"She was a little shaken up but she's fine now," Jasper answered, his voice sounding smooth as honey with a hint of an accent.

"That's good, don't want her worrying about me," I muttered, thinking about Bella and how she was probably sitting at home worrying about me even though I wish she wouldn't.

I turned to Nana then, wondering if she had been worrying about me as well. What she must be going through because of me. First, the accident that took her daughter and son-in-law and now having to put up with me in the hospital.

"I'm okay, sweetheart."

"I'm so sorry, Nana, I've made you go through this again," I said softly, trying to stop my hands from shaking as the panic began to set in. Nana ran her hand over my head, her fingers flattening my hair.

"No need to worry, sweetheart, you make my life exciting for a change," she teased, looking to Alice as she let out a bell-like laugh. Jasper went to say something, but the door opening cut him off.

A blond doctor entered his eyes the same butterscotch colour as Alice and Jasper's. He was pale, like his adopted children and he was also very beautiful like his children.

Were the people around here sure that they weren't all blood-related? How could they all look that amazing and not share blood? Perhaps they only adopted beautiful children because they were beautiful. I had heard about Dr Cullen's equally beautiful wife.

"Miss Flynn, I've got your result from your scans," he said, waving the folder in his hand as he looked at Nana. "Evening Cora, I hope Alice and Jasper haven't bothered you."

"Of course not, Carlisle, they've been very helpful in reminding Callie what happened this afternoon," Nana told him, rubbing her fingers against my hand as I pushed myself up to sit.

"Is my head okay?" I asked, wanting to know if I'd have to stay any longer in the hospital.

"There was a small crack on the x-ray, but I'm not too concerned about it. From your scan, there doesn't seem to be any blood or fluid building up, so I'm hopeful that it'll be the same tomorrow morning when you have another scan. If all looks good we can discharge you tomorrow," he said, flipping through the chart, letting Nana see when she asked. She knew what she'd be seeing, with her being a nurse.

"I'll have to stay overnight?"

"Unfortunately." Carlisle smiled, the amusement clear on his face at the disappointment in my tone.

At least it was Friday, I wouldn't want to miss school and make a scene about missing out on class.

"Don't worry, Callie, you won't be missing school," Alice added as if she knew my thoughts. I sent her a smile, covering my mouth as I tried to hide my yawn.

"Let's leave the patient for the night," Carlisle stated, waving his children out and pardoning himself.

Nana looked at me as she rose from her seat. I could already tell she was going to leave me here. She pulled my phone from her pocket, placing it on the sheet that covered my legs.

"Bella's been texting you all night. I think you should call her or reply and let her know you're alright. Maybe you can ask her to pick you up if you get the all-clear as I'm working a shift." She leant down, pressing a kiss to my head, brushing my hair behind my ear. "I'll see you in the morning, you get some rest okay." I nodded at her words, watching her leave the room.

Looking down at the phone on my lap, I picked it up and fired off a text to Bella, letting her know I was awake and that my scans came through clear and that I should be free to go tomorrow morning and wondered if she could pick me up.

I settled down in the bed for sleep as her text came in, confirming that she'd be here to pick me up if I gave her my discharge time and she was happy to hear that I was okay.

Setting my phone on the bedside table, I pulled the blankets up to my neck and tried to get comfortable.

* * *

I woke that morning with a throbbing headache and was tired despite the sleep I had just woken from. Dr Cullen had my scan moved up once he saw me and it was him that gave me the unfortunate news.

Slight swelling of the brain.

Nothing too bad and it was only a small section, but they wanted to keep an eye on it with my history of head injuries. Which meant I was to stay at the hospital, so they could monitor it.

It seemed to me that Dr Cullen wasn't too bothered about it. Surely as a doctor, he should seem more concerned. Nana came to visit on her shift, saying that she trusted Carlisle's judgement and that I should.

What was with her calling him Carlisle? Wouldn't she have to call him Dr Cullen seeing as he was her boss?

"Good morning," came an excited voice. I looked to the door to see Alice barging in, her arms full of what looked like junk food and fashion magazines. She dumped the food on my lap and waved the magazines in front of my face in excitement. "I thought you'd like the company. My Dad told me you'd be in here for a while," she explained, noting the confused look on my face.

"Umm okay," I replied, pulling at the large bar of chocolate that was obviously from the UK. "Not to sound rude or anything, Alice, but what are you doing here?"

"I know we don't really talk but I've wanted to be friends with you since you arrived, but my siblings were against it." Okay, what had I done to have her siblings hate me? "It's okay now though, they all love you, expect Rosalie, but she doesn't like anyone."

"They don't know me; how can they love me?" I wondered what must be going through the Cullen's heads.

"But we will get to know you, so we will love you," she said, a giant smile on her face. "I thought we could look at the latest fashion and you can help me pick out some outfits." She was too energetic for me. This was when I needed Bella, maybe I could send her a text and she could come save me.

"Alice," a rough voice warned from the door and I looked to see Emmett blocking the doorway.

"Emmett, have you come to join us?" Alice asked, her bubbly tone almost infectious, almost.

"Umm, I'm not sure what you're doing here, Alice, but it looks like you're torturing the girl," Emmett said, causing a smile to grow on my lips.

It was as if he had just read my mind. Not that I minded Alice, it's just, I wasn't really in the mood to look at fashion magazines.

"It's nice to see you, Emmett," I said to him, directing my eyes from Alice to Emmett. Had he always been so big? "I wanted to thank you for carrying me to the nurse yesterday, Alice told me what you did."

"No problem, Callie, just helping where I could." He gave me a large grin, his eyes taking in the IV connected to my wrist and the junk food on my lap. He held his hand up, waving a compact travel kit of chess. "I thought we'd play a game? Unless you want to lose your mind in fashion?"

"Chess sounds like a plan," I exclaimed quickly, sending Alice an apologetic look as she glared at me. "I'm not any good though so you'll have to take it easy," I added seeing a victorious smile grow at my words.

* * *

I had been held at the hospital for the rest of the week as the swelling went down, but Dr Cullen wanted to keep me in due to my recent history.

The first day was spent with Alice and Emmett and the two of them visited every day after school to keep me company. They made quick excuses to leave when Bella came to visit though, something that didn't go amiss by us.

I reverted to my old habits of being in the hospital after the second day; when Dr Cullen came to find me, he found me in the children's ward playing with the children there.

When I woke after my four-week coma, I stayed for another six weeks and as they wouldn't let me do anything I spent most of my time with the children, keeping them company.

I was playing with two little girls, Holly and Katie when I felt eyes on me. Thinking it was Dr Cullen, I looked up at the viewing window, a large smile on my face, yet it dropped slightly when I saw who it was.

Edward Cullen was staring at me, his butterscotch eyes burning into my face. He looked frustrated as if he was trying to figure something out and couldn't understand it.

His eyes locked with mine and I slowly rose from the floor, running my fingers through the girl's hair as I whispered goodbye.

When I left the room, Edward stayed where he was, not running off for once. The air was tense between us, the awkwardness growing as I moved closer to him and he just stared.

"Hello, Edward," I said softly, giving him what I hoped was a soft smile. He tensed at my words, his eyes flashing over my face before he breathed out sharply.

"Calliope," he returned. His voice was everything I imagined it to be. Smooth and rough at the same time. It was like dark chocolate, bitter and sweet. It made my stomach flutter in excitement.

"Callie is fine," I told him, not liking the use of my full name. It brought up too many memories of my mum.

He didn't reply, his eyes staying on my face in such an intense manner. His gaze was nothing like Alice's or Emmett's, though those two often gave me weird looks, it was nothing compared to Edward.

The few times Jasper had seen me, he had spent a lot of time looking at me as if he was trying to understand something. But Edward, Edward hadn't even met me, and he was giving me a creepy look.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" I asked when the silence got too much for me.

"I came to apologise for our first meeting," he said, sounding as if it was obvious why he was here.

I frowned, not understanding what he was talking about. We hadn't had a first meeting unless you want to count the weird behaviour of him when I first saw him in the parking lot.

"We haven't had a first meeting, Edward." I shifted, leaning against the wall as he tensed slightly at my movements. He was being weird. I could see how stiff he was, the way he was suppressing his breath and the way he tilted his body away from me, "You skipped school the first week I was there, and I've been here the second week."

"You're right, but I wanted to apologise for the way you saw me on your first day. I've been meaning to introduce myself to you." He seemed to step forward before falling back on his heels.

"I already know who you are," I pointed out to him. It seemed weird that he was here now trying to make things right. "Did Alice send you?" He stiffened at the mention of Alice but made no mention of why he was here. "I told her not to bother. She wanted us to meet before I went back to school but there's no point, right? You don't seem to want to communicate with me."

"I do—"

"You shouldn't lie, Edward. It doesn't seem to suit you," I told him already knowing he was lying to me. It was something I always knew.

I got a feeling that let me know if a lie was being told. The hairs on my arms seemed to rise and my fingertips seemed to tingle when someone lied. I had always been able to tell when someone was lying, it was just like how my brother, Donnie, always got an itching feeling just before something bad happened. He was also rather good at figuring out liars which helped him in his job as a junior Private Investigator.

"How did you know I was lying?" he asked, a small dip between his eyebrows that made me ponder his thoughts.

"So you were lying then?" I said, feeling smug at the startled look on his face.

"No. Yes. I don't know," he sighed out, the frustration clear as he shifted his hand through his hair. Even when he was frustrated he looked good.

"I've got to get back to my room, your father will be there soon to do some tests," I told him, nodding down the hall to where my room was.

"May I walk you?" I chewed on my lip as I thought about it and frowned when I realised I had started to copy Bella.

I hadn't even spent two weeks with her yet and I was already coping with her habits.

I rolled my eyes at the thought but nodded my head at Edward, allowing him to walk beside me to my room.

When we reached my door, I could hear Alice and Emmett talking in my room. The pair of them looked up as I entered, both looking slightly surprised to see Edward there.

"Edward," Alice said, rising from the seat she had deemed as hers. Emmett sat at the bottom of the bed, his usual seat whenever we played any board games he brought with him.

I could see Monopoly set up in the middle of the bed and I sighed as I saw that Emmett had already set it up to how it was yesterday. The game went unfinished, but Emmett wanted to carry on with the game as I was winning, and he didn't want to lose.

"What are you doing here, Alice?" Edward asked, looking between his sister and the Monopoly game on the bed.

"We come and see Row every day," she reminded him as if he should have known it. Shouldn't he have though? I mean, he did live with them, surely, he would have known that they come here a lot. I smiled at Alice's use of my nickname, something she insisted on calling me after she heard Nana and Bella use it.

"I'm trying to beat her in this," Emmett muttered, nodding to the game before looking at me with raised eyebrows.

He was basically asking me what was keeping me from joining him. I rolled my eyes as I left Edward's side and climbed into the bed with Emmett's help.

I had noticed over the last week how cold they were. Alice and Jasper were just as cold as Emmett, and Dr Cullen was cold as well. I found it strange but decided it wasn't important.

They took the time to come here throughout the day, even during school time when I knew they should have been there with everyone else. They all had the same eyes as well. The same butterscotch yellow that often changed from amber to black and then went back to the bright butterscotch.

Edward frowned at the action between me and Emmett but said nothing as he stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him. He leant against the wall by the door as Emmett started our game and Alice took up her role as the banker.

We had decided since Alice didn't want to play that she'd make the game fair by being the banker so neither one of us could cheat.

"Hah!" I yelled when Emmett rolled the dice and he landed on one of my buildings. "You owe me now, Rocky, hand it over." Emmett sighed in defeat as he grudgingly threw me the money he owed me, glaring at Alice as she let out a giggle.

"Rocky?" Edward asked, ignoring the look Emmett gave him as he stepped closer. He seemed to have a look at what I could only assume jealousy on his face. What was he jealous about?

"Yeah, you know cause he's like a mountain," I pointed out, giving Edward a look. Shouldn't he be able to see what I meant?

A small smile peered on his face and I felt butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Well, they were until a pillow hit me in the face.

"Emmy!" I shouted as the pillow dropped into my lap. I frowned at Emmett, pouting my lip as he chuckled giving me a dark look.

I glanced at the board, noting that he had taken the money from the middle. Glancing up at him again, I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

"Hey," he exclaimed, moving back and falling off the bed with a loud bang. I fell against my pillows as I clutched my stomach as I tried to stop myself from laughing.

"It seems everyone's in a good mood," Carlisle said as he came into the room, closing the door behind him. I gave him a bright smile as he ignored Emmett on the floor. "I'm glad to tell you that you'll be getting out of here today."

"Really?" I asked, finally happy that I'll be out of this place.

After spending a lot of my recent months in the hospital before I got here I didn't really want to spend any more time locked up in these white rooms.

"I'm not lying, you're free to go. Your scans came through clear and your x-ray showed that your head has healed. I'm happy to let you go." He flipped through the papers on his clipboard signing the release forms. "Your grandmother said she'll sign the forms when she gets into work tonight but I'm happy to let you go now."

"Nana's in Port Angela's until her shift, I'll have to call Bella to come to pick me up," I told him, hugging a pillow to my chest as I was finally free to leave.

"We'll drop you off," Alice suggested, the smile on her face growing as she lifted the duffle bag by her feet. "I'm so happy I brought you some clothes now. You have nothing to wear home and I won't let you step foot out of here wearing that." She nodded to the hospital gown and grey jogging bottoms I had on.

"I hope you didn't go overboard, Alice, I'm leaving the hospital, not going to a press conference," I said to her, knowing she'd have some fashionable outfit ready for me.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading xx**


	4. Chapter 4

****Please enjoy this chapter and know that I am apologising for ay mistakes made because there will certainly be some - this is your author speaking, I know things.****

 ** **Drop me a review if you wish or leave me a comment xx****

* * *

 ** **Edited: 23-04-20****

* * *

The house was quiet when Alice and Emmett dropped me off. Edward had stayed at the hospital stating he wanted to talk to Carlisle, but I hadn't really cared. There was a part of me that wanted to be around him, but in that moment, I just wanted to be out of the hospital.

Alice opened the door, her fingers clutching my keys as she ushered me into the house. The house opened into an open plan downstairs, the hallway leading into the kitchen on the left and the living room on the right.

At the back of the house was a laundry room and a wet room that had a door leading to the garden. The garden backed onto the forest and I was happy about that.

The stairs led into a small hallway upstairs where there were two bedrooms, Nana's the slightly larger one and then my room, the one that faced the back of the house. The bathroom was opposite the stairs and there was a pull-out ladder leading to the attic.

It was a small house, but it would do for me and Nana. Alice led me to the living room, her eyes taking in the bookshelves all around the room before settling on the telly and the large cabinet it was on. The cabinet held DVDs, hidden by the cupboard doors.

"Your home is lovely," she said as I dropped down onto the sofa, tucking my feet under me and wrapping the thick fluffy blanket over my shoulders.

"Nana hasn't changed it much since I last came here, but there's less of Grandpa's stuff lying around now," I told her watching as Emmett looked at the family photos hanging on the walls.

"Are these your brothers?" he asked, pointing to one of the more recent photos of me and my brothers. I nodded my head, smiling as he raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure it must be hard for you to have a boyfriend."

"Never had one. Boys seem to get intimidated by the six older brothers," I told him, fighting the urge to close my eyes. How could I be so tired? A knock at the door had me snapping my head up. Could I be bothered to get up?

Emmett made my decision for me as he made his way to the door. I could hear him talking to someone before two sets of footsteps made their way into the living room.

Bella appeared then, her hands holding a pile of books and I knew she had brought over my homework – well the stuff from today seeing as she came every evening to help me catch up throughout the week.

"Bella," I sighed happily, waving her over, ignoring the looks Alice and Emmett gave us. Any minute now and they'd leave.

"We should be leaving, Esme wants us home for dinner," Alice said, waving Emmett to the door as she gave me a soft smile, her eyes flicking to Bella before they left.

"They don't like me," Bella announced once she was sure they were gone.

"I don't think they like anyone," I told her, shifting on the sofa, making room for her. "What work have we got to do now?"

"Trigonometry," she said, pouting at the thought. I chuckled along with her as she opened the book, the pair of us getting the work done quickly.

* * *

Monday morning was something I wasn't at all prepared for. It also didn't help that it had started to snow the night before and it was still snowing this morning as we left.

When Bella honked her horn, I forgot that I had been out of school for a week so when we turned up at the school and everyone gathered around Bella's truck, I suddenly wished I didn't have to come into school.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bella asked, turning to face me as she turned the engine off. I gave her a slight nod, my eyes roaming around the car park until they settled on Alice and Emmett. I noticed Edward leaning against his car, his eyes on me as I pulled open the door.

"I am so sorry, Callie," Mike said, his voice instantly irritating me as I saw his face flash in front of mine as I stepped out of Bella's truck.

"It's fine, Mike," I told him, quickly pushing my way to the front of the car, meeting up with Bella.

I looked at her with wide eyes before grabbing hold of her arm and rushing towards the reception. I had to let them know that I was back now and to give them the doctor's note from the hospital.

* * *

"I'm not sure how you managed to stay in the hospital and keep up with all your work," Angela said, as we dropped into our seats at the table in the café. Bella chuckled at Angela as we all started picking at the fries we had.

"I wasn't really doing much in the hospital, I was kind of happy when Bella came to bring me my work," I told her, digging into the burger on my plate.

I was so happy to have proper food again. The hospital food wasn't exactly that great and Nana had been working all weekend, so I was just eating leftovers. Leftovers were great but not what I was wanting.

"Except for when Alice and Emmett were there," Bella pointed out, bringing a fry to her mouth as she nodded to the Cullen's. I followed her gaze to see all five of them looking our way.

"Alice and Emmet Cullen came to visit you at the hospital?" Angela asked, the shock clear in her voice.

Not really wanting to talk about it and slightly annoyed that Bella brought it up, I glanced out the window to see the snow still falling. Mike, Eric, and Tyler were having a snowball fight and I was happy we all rushed in after our last class.

I did not want to participate in a snowball fight.

"Look, it's still snowing," I said, trying to make them forget what we were talking about.

Bella scoffed at my attempt to change the subject and I could see Angela debating with herself whether to press the subject.

"I need the toilet," I input before either of them could say any more. I stood, glancing at my food before glaring at Bella "If you touch my food I'll have to kill you," I joked, giving her a wink before leaving them for the toilet.

The toilet was easy enough to find, surprisingly I hadn't used the toilets that were in this building before, so I thought they would be harder to find. They were located down the hallway that led to the cafeteria, who would have thought?

After finishing my business, I went to turn back to the café but a room at the end of the hallway caught my attention. The door was open, and I let my curiosity get the best of me and I made my way to the room.

As I stopped in the doorway, my eyes rested on the music instruments, my eyes lingering on the violin.

My fingers itched to play and with a quick glance down the hallway, I stepped into the room, letting the door close slightly behind me. My fingers gripped the violin and I picked up the bow putting it into position.

I closed my eyes as I let my hands and fingers take over. I didn't know what I was playing, the muscle memory taking over as I hummed along with the music as I swayed with the movement of the song.

It had been such a long time since I last played the violin and while I easily picked up where I left off, I felt the sadness erupt in my chest as I continued to play. The last time I played had been when my parents were still alive.

My thoughts were getting too much for me and I cut off, pulling the bow away and dropping the violin to my side. Opening my eyes, I found that they were blurred with tears. I went to set the violin back on its stand when someone started clapping behind me.

Spinning on my heel, I saw a tall man, with a black beard matching his hair and shining blue eyes.

"Umm," I started, looking at the man as he stepped into the room, his eyes dropping to the violin in my hands. "I didn't mean to come in here."

"It's okay," he said, coming closer and holding his hand out for what I assumed was the violin. I handed it to him without question. "You're the new student, Callie Flynn, right?" I nodded at his words, wondering how he knew that, but then thought it was a small school, everyone probably knew everyone. "I read your records. I saw you were part of the school orchestra, but you also played for the National Irish Orchestra. Why aren't you taking music here?" I could only assume that he was a music teacher here.

"I haven't played in a long time," I told him, shifting slightly as he frowned.

"But you played then, I couldn't make out any mistakes."

"I haven't really played since my parents died," I said, feeling him freeze as he nodded slowly as if he understood.

"My father died when I was eighteen, I stopped playing then, but I eventually started up again because I knew he'd be upset if I didn't ever play again." He'd been through something similar too then. "It gets better, with time, but everyone grieves differently. Sometimes it helps to do the things they love instead of shying away from them." I nodded at his words, jumping when the bell went off signaling the end of lunch. "I'm Mr. William's by the way and I'd love for you to come and join the music program here."

"I have no free periods, Mr. Williams," I said, as I made my way to the door.

"We don't do lessons for the music program, there's a practice on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Even if you don't want to join I'd love for you to come tomorrow morning just to get a feel for it." I slowly nodded at the thought of going. It wouldn't do any harm if I turned up to have a look.

"What time tomorrow?" I asked, holding onto the door handle as I stood on the threshold of the door.

"An hour and a half before the first period, this room. I'll be looking forward to seeing you, Callie." He said, giving me a small smile as I waved awkwardly and left.

* * *

"Where were you?" Bella asked as I joined her at our desk. She had my bag set on my chair and I smiled thankfully at her.

"I was talking to Mr Williams," I said, pulling my notepad and pen out. I could feel Edward staring at me and shivered. Why did he make things so intense? "He was asking me to join the music program."

"So, he knows about you playing the violin then?" she wondered. I could hear the excitement in her voice. While Bella hadn't seen me perform in real life, she had seen the videos.

"He heard me playing," I admitted, my cheeks flushing. Edward shifted next to me and I glanced at him. He looked like he was holding his breath, but after a while, he exhaled slowly and turned to look at me.

"You were playing?" Bella said, the astonishment clear in her voice. She knew why I hadn't played.

"He said something that made me realise I was being silly," I told her, tapping my pen on the table. "My parents would be disappointed in me for not playing anymore. I don't want to disappoint them."

"Your parents will be proud," she said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "I can't wait to hear you play."

"I might not be able to go to school with you tomorrow." I tapped my pen harder on the desk as my nervousness grew. Would I really turn up tomorrow? Could I play again in front of people? "The music program meets an hour and a half before the first period. I'll need to get in early," I explained. "I don't want you leaving early because of me. I'll ask Nana to give me a lift, or I'll ask Charlie to drop me in on the way to work."

"I don't mind, I could—"

"You don't have to worry, Bella," I reassured her, giving her a smile. "I'll be fine. Though, I might ask to put my violin in your truck before class?"

"That'll be fine," she sighed, laughing at the cheeky smile I gave her. She started flipping through the textbook as Mr Banner directed the class to follow his notes on the board.

"I didn't know you played the violin," Edward said softly, bringing my attention away from Bella and to him. He looked at me curiously as he flipped the textbook to the right page. Why would he know?

"I haven't played in a couple of months," I told him, remember the last time I had played. It had been the night of the car accident.

"Playing can be such a personal thing." The way he said it made me think that he also played an instrument.

"Do you play?" I asked, wanting to know as much about him as he would allow.

"Piano," he said, his finger tapping on the page we were meant to be working from. I should have guessed from his long fingers that he played piano, that or the guitar.

"Are you any good?" I couldn't help but wonder. Alice was amazing at art and I knew Jasper was efficient in history. Emmett wasn't failing in any of his classes either. I knew enough about the Cullen's to understand that they excelled at school. Perhaps Edward would be the same with music.

"My mother likes to tell me I am," he said, a smile on his face. From what I knew about Esme, I understood that she doted on her children.

"My mother was also so proud when I performed. No matter if it was to one or a thousand people," I told him, remembering the bright smile on her face whenever I played a few notes on my violin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your mother," he muttered, the smile leaving his face as he looked at me in concern.

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much to think about her. She loved it when I played the violin, it's why I'm thinking about joining the music program." He nodded as I gave a slight shrug and got back to doing the work as if nothing was said between us.

I wonder if it's always going to be this hard talking to him?

* * *

"Why didn't you go to the music program?" Bella asked as she came out of her house, looking at me as I stood by her truck. I shrugged, not knowing what I could say to her. Could I admit that I chickened out and grew too scared to go? Could I tell her I thought I was going to disappoint my parents if I messed up during practice?

"I overslept," I told her as she came down, slipping on the ice and falling to the floor. I tried to rush towards her but also slipped, landing on top of her. I quickly rolled off her, clutching my wrist to my chest as it stung but I glanced at Bella, wanting to know if she was okay. "Are you okay?" I asked her, reaching over to her to help her up.

As my fingers brushed her hand a feeling of dread washed over me. What was that? What was wrong? I must have been looking at Bella with wide eyes as she looked frightened as well and reached up and wiped her face.

"Are you alright? You didn't hit your head, did you?" she asked in concern, quickly reaching over to me and pressing her fingers to the back of my head. As her fingers brushed through my hair I was filled with dread once more. Why was it happening?

"I'm fine, Bells," I whispered just as Charlie joined us and quickly pulled us to our feet.

"You best be careful on the road girls, I don't need an emergency call saying my daughters have been in an accident." Did he just say, daughters? Charlie's face flushed red and he rushed off to his car before I could say anything.

Bella shared a look with me, so I assumed he had said, daughters. She didn't look annoyed that Charlie had said it, more content instead.

"Did he just?" I asked weakly as I climbed into her truck hoping she'd turn on the heating. I was cold and wet from falling over and I hoped to be dry before school started.

"He did." Bella quickly pulled away from the house and started our journey to school. She didn't say anything for a while, but I could feel the tension growing as she was bursting to say something. "I don't mind, you know." What did she mean? "That Charlie thinks of you as his daughter. It'll be good for him to have someone else to care for. It'll be good for me too."

"I care for you too, Bells. You're the sister I always wanted." I was wondering if it was weird for me to feel so attached to her after a couple of weeks but if she felt the same way then surely it was fine. It was like we were fated to know each other. I felt like she was family.

As we made our way into the school parking lot, I couldn't help but feel the dread and fear wash over me.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading xx**


	5. Chapter 5

****It's slowly coming along.****

 ** **I really do enjoy writing this story, and all the other stories I have on here, but I'm fighting a losing battle with writers' block and it sometimes takes an hour just to write 100 words.****

 ** **So, thank you to everyone that has stuck with me and is choosing to continue reading this story. It really means a lot.****

 ** **Thank you for reading xx****

* * *

 **Edited: 23-04-20**

* * *

As Bella pulled into the parking spot, I was instantly drawn to the snow and ice patches on the road. I was dreading any more ice incidents. Bella turned the engine off and turned to me, a grimace on her face.

"Mike and Eric," she said, nodding to the pair over by the school. I glanced at them and saw the pile of snowballs they had mantled and were waiting for unsuspecting victims. "Avoid at all costs." She added, her eyes dramatically wide as she pulled her bag from the floor and on the bench between us. I let out a giggle and shook my head at her dramatics.

"Avoid at all costs," I agreed, losing my smile as another flash of dread washed over me. Something was going to happen to Bella, I could just feel it. I needed to get her out of the truck. "Let's go see Angela," I suggested hoping Bella would agree.

She nodded and grabbed her bag, climbing out of the car. The door slammed shut and she made her way round to my side, waiting. She shrugged her shoulder at me as I smiled at her through the window, I knew she was nagging me for taking too long. My hand rested on the door handle when my phone slipped from my fingers and fell on the floor of the truck. I waved Bella off as she waited for me and I sighed in relief as she walked away towards Angela.

The feeling of her impending doom left me as she walked away. Whatever this strange feeling was, I was happy it wasn't surrounding Bella anymore. Looking down at my phone, I lent down and reached for it at the same time something collided with my side of the truck, sending me flying into the dashboard, smacking my head in the process before I met the floor.

"What the heck?" I whispered, staring up at the truck roof as my ears rang with the commotion around me. Pulling myself up, I rested my arm on the bench and rested my head in my hand as I glanced out of the window.

My side of the door was dented and Tyler's minivan could be seen pressing against Bella's truck. Tyler was leaning back in his seat, blood running down his face as he looked at me with wide eyes. My eyes widened in shock as I realised what had happened.

"Holy hell," I said, trying to pull myself up from the seat. Tyler was hurt, like really hurt. The thing that stood out most to me was that Bella should have been standing where Tyler's van was. I had somehow known what was going to happen to Bella.

How had I known that Bella was in danger?

As I stared at Tyler through the smashed window I was reminded of the accident that brought me here in the first place. I had been left like this after the crash, staring out at a cracked window as my mother called out for me in pain. She couldn't move and I later found out that the lower half of her legs had been severed upon impact. She bled out and died before she made it to the hospital.

Dad had died on impact, the windscreen shattering and embedding themselves into his neck and chest slicing through arteries and veins. It had apparently been painless and he'd gone within seconds.

The lorry that crashed into us had caused the car to capsize and our car had been crushed under the weight of the lorry and it was a miracle I survived.

Being trapped in Bella's truck and seeing the damage Tyler's minivan had caused had me going back to the accident that killed my parents.

I barely noticed when our cars were surrounded by every student that had been in the car park and that there was a lot of shouting and panicked cries. I did notice when Edward, Emmet, and Jasper pushed Tyler's minivan away from Bella's truck and Alice was in the truck with me, her cool hand cupping my face as she brought my eyes to hers.

"Hey, Row, look at me," she whispered, looking over my face to see if there was any harm. Her eyes settled on my forehead and I knew there must have been a bruise.

"Allie?" I asked, wondering where she came from.

"You've bumped your head." She didn't need to tell me, I already knew that. I also knew that I would be getting rushed to the hospital. "Carlisle will want to have a look at it."

"I'm fine," I assured her, knowing from experience that the slight bump on my head was nothing. As if hearing my thoughts, Alice screwed up her face and shook her head in disagreement.

"You've just spent a week in hospital because of a head injury. You've got a past of head injuries, you're going to the hospital." And there was no arguing with Alice.

Ten minutes later I was being wheeled into an ambulance, Alice sliding in the back with me as we were headward bound to Forks ER with a personal escort from Charlie and a worried Bella.

* * *

Carlisle met us when we arrived at the hospital. His eyes were roaming my face, resting on the bruise that had formed on my forehead. He had ushered me straight for a scan and wandered off with Alice as she whispered to him quickly.

An hour later I was sitting in the ER with Tyler as he went on and on about how sorry he was and how he didn't even know what was happening until it happened. I was about to tell him it was okay when Bella came rushing into the room, Charlie following behind her.

"Oh my god, Row, are you okay?" She asked, throwing herself at me and scrambling onto the bed. I rested my hand on her shoulder as she wrapped me in a crushing hug, her arms strangling me as she sobbed into my shoulder.

"I'm good, but you're kinda killing me now," I said, patting her as she held on tighter. I guess she had never been this scared before considering she was strangling me with her love.

"Yeah, Bells, let go of the girl," Charlie said resting his hand on Bella's shoulder as she pulled away from me. "You gave us all a scare there, Row."

"Sorry, Charlie." I paused, frowning as a thought came to me. "You know, this isn't my fault. I wasn't even driving the truck, I was just sitting there. And, if I didn't tell Bella to go to Angela she'd be squished. As flat as a pancake."

Charlie frowned at my words, shaking his head as I waved my hands at my explanation of a Bella pancake. He rolled his eyes at me as he looked around the room, his eyes settling on Tyler. The poor boy had a bandage on his head, cuts all over his face and a broken arm.

"It's not even his fault, Charlie, there was ice and he tried to brake." Bella squeezed my hand as Charlie opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as Carlisle walked into the room coming straight for us.

Bella was looking at him dumbfounded and I wanted to reach out and close her jaw. Charlie looked as lost and scatterbrained as his daughter and I found it mildly amusing. As Carlisle walked over to us with his perfect face drawing the attention of everyone and taking Charlie's bout of anger off Tyler.

"How's my favourite patient?" Carlisle asked as he picked up my notes and checked over them.

"You saw me an hour ago and I'm still feeling fine," I said, rolling my eyes at his perfect smile. He could make anyone combust with a smile like that. All the Cullen's could.

"Everythings come back clear and I'm happy to say you can go home." He laughed at my victorious cheer, my arms flung in the air in excitement. "Unfortunately Cora's been called to Port Angela's to assist with a critical case, but she's asked Esme to take you home and watch over you."

I had never met Esme before, but I'd heard a lot about her from Alice and Emmett. Apparently she was the best mother and she was an exceptional cook. It must explain why they never ate at school. If they were getting amazing meals at home why would they eat cafeteria food?

"She could have come with us," Bella said, looking put out as she glanced between Carlisle and Charlie.

"Esme insisted she help out considering Alice talks about her all the time. She wants to meet the girl that has our children captivated," Carlise said in reply to Bella. I saw the tightening of her jaw and knew why she was upset.

Whenever Bella came round the Cullen's made an excuse to disappear. She was certain they didn't like her and I was finding it hard to make up reasons why that isn't true.

"When can I leave?" I asked just wanting to get out of here. I didn't want to linger any longer than I had to.

"Right now," Alice sang as she flung herself around Carlisle and into me, her arms slinging around my neck. A shiver shook me at her cold embrace but I wrapped my arms around her happy she was here. I was used to the unusual coldness that followed the Cullen's. Perhaps they needed to turn up the heating in their house.

"Allie," I whispered, smiling at Carlisle over her shoulder as he shook Charlie's hand and left. "Where's Esme?" I couldn't see anyone else with her so I assumed so was off doing something or waiting for us.

"She's signing your discharge papers. I'm here to sneak you out of the staff exit to avoid the entire school." Glancing to Bella in confusion, I saw the sheepish look on her face as she ducked her head to avoid me.

"What?"

"Everyone's worried about you, Ronnie, the whole school is waiting in reception." Alice sounded excited about it, almost like it was the paparazzi waiting for a celebrity. "I know what you're thinking which is why I'm here to sneak you out the staff exit."

"Can we go now?" I didn't want to be sat here anymore if I didn't have to. Alice nodded and helped me off the bed, her hand sliding down my arm to steady me. "I'll catch you tomorrow Bella?" I asked, knowing she'd be picking me up. Wait. "Umm, how are we getting to school?"

"Your Nana's got that one sorted, sweetheart," Charlie said, resting his hand on Bella's shoulder as she stood beside him, "You've got a surprise when you get home." With that, he guided Bella out of the room, not even bothering to explain anything to me. I glanced at Alice wondering if she knew what he was talking about.

"Let's go wait for Esme by the car," she said following Charlie's lead as she led me out.

* * *

Esme reminded me of my mother.

Her soft smile and the way she cupped my face and checked me over for injuries was so maternal I wanted to cry.

It was then I realised I was jealous of the Cullen's.

Not because they were beautiful and talented. Not because they had nice clothes and expensive cars. Not because of their money, but because they had a mother.

Even if she wasn't their biological mother, at least she wanted them. She chose them.

It made me yearn for my own mother and that hurt.

I'd never be able to see her again. I'd never be held in her arms and cuddled when in pain. I couldn't go to her when I needed a mother to answer all my unanswered questions. I could never have a conversation with her or laugh about silly things or cry because I was being stupid.

I missed her and I was afraid that one day I was going to forget her.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Esme asked, setting her hand on my arm softly. I glance up at her, wiping away my tears as I take a mug of hot chocolate from her.

"I was just thinking about my mum," I told her, giving a soft smile as I hugged the mug to my chest. "You remind me of her."

Esme gave me a smile but I could tell that her amber eyes weren't smiling. She looked lost and sad as she looked at me. I knew she didn't know what to say.

"Your children are very lucky to have you, Esme," I said, sipping on the chocolate and sighed in content at the taste.

"I love them all dearly." She paused, tilting her head to the side as she glanced at Alice who was busy circling clothes in one of her magazines. "I had a baby once before I met Carlisle." She turned back to me, her hand taking hold of my hand. "I was married before to a … unpleasant man. I feared for my baby's life so I ran away, but I needn't have worried." I could tell that her story didn't have a happy ending.

I moved my hand in hers so our fingers were locked. I hoped it would show how sorry I was. I knew to say it wouldn't have any meaning. They were just words handed out by people that thought they'd comfort you when really they made you feel worse.

"I had him for two days before he died from lung fever. There was nothing the doctors could have done and I was devastated." She gave my hand a little squeezed and I looked up at her. "I'm ashamed to say I tried to kill myself." My heart picked up at her honesty but I didn't think horribly of her. I wanted to end everything when I awoke from my coma. I understood what she felt to lose someone. "Luckily Carlisle was there to save me and I eventually came to forgive myself as I fell in love with him."

"And you eventually ended up with five wonderful children," Alice said, joining us as she flopped onto the sofa next to me.

"Yes, I eventually ended up with my beautiful children," she agreed, giving Alice a soft, motherly smile.

"They are all lucky to have you," I said, looking between the mother and daughter with longing.

"I'm lucky to have them."

"Of course, though she has a soft spot for Edward seeing as he was her first," Alice said in a teasing tone. She leaned towards me and held up her hand to cover her mouth. "She spoils him rotten." She didn't bother with whispering but instead glared at Esme as the older woman laughed.

"I do not," Esme argued but I could tell from the look on her face that Alice was probably telling the truth.

"My brothers will tell you I was the spoilt one but that title actually belongs to my brother, Jackson. He's the third child and the second twin my mum had. He almost didn't make it during the birth and it was touch and go for months after, so my mother always saw him as her miracle."

"Edward's definitely the favourite, he was with Carlisle first, and Esme adored him from the moment she met him. Though I don't know why considering he's a moody g–"

"Alice," Esme warned her before she could say what it was she wanted to call her brother.

"I'm kidding," Alice teased, getting up from the sofa and looking out the window. "Oh, your Nana's back and she has your surprise." There was a definite tone of excitement in Alice's voice and I hastily got off the sofa and joined her at the window.

I felt excitement bubble through me because parked in the drive next to Nana's car was a 1969 cherry red, Ford Mustang.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for being patient with me.**

 **This story is slowly coming along. I've got the plot planned out all the way through to the beginning of Breaking Dawn but I'm struggling to get each chapter finished because I keep thinking they could be better written.**

 **Please enjoy and if you have the time to leave a review of what you think.**

 **I know we're all experiencing hard times right now so if anyone needs to talk feel free to PM me.**

 **Stay safe,**

 **Love Comet96 xx**

* * *

I didn't know anything about cars, but I knew this car. It was a 1969 cherry red, Ford Mustang in perfect condition and was treated with respect and driven with care. I knew this car because it once belonged to my dad.

It was his pride and joy.

As my eyes roamed over the car, I was drawn to the door as a familiar lanky figure climbed out and ruffled his auburn hair.

"Donnie!" I shouted, pushing away from the window and running to the door. I barely waited for the door to open before I was jumping down the stairs and flinging myself at my brother. "I've missed you."

"Hey there, Squirt," he said, wrapping his big arms around me as I breathed him in. "I've got a surprise for you." Wasn't being here a surprise? He opened the back door of the car and out bounded my gorgeous boy, Hank.

"Hank!" I was happy to see the German Shepard and dropped to my knees, letting his tongue run across my face as his front paws rested on my shoulders. "What are you doing here?" I asked too shocked to see them both here. I didn't know who I was happier to see, my brother or my dog.

"I had a feeling and I had to move here. Seems about right considering you keep ending up in the hospital." His eyes drifted to the door where Alice and Esme were standing, smiling at us. "Is that Alice?" Donnie pushed me out of his way and walked up to the step, taking Alice's hand. "Thank you so much for looking after the brat."

"It's been a pleasure," Alice said, her eyes shining as she smiled at my brother

"She can be a pain, I'm surprised you still put up with her." He was teasing but I felt like I had to defend myself.

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Alice and Esme just laughed. "How did you manage to get time off from work?" I ran my fingers through Hanks fur, rubbing his ears as I tried to control my excitement.

"I'm moving here for work. I've got a new job working here as a rookie on the police force."

"What about your private detective inspector job?"

"I never had that job, we were just winding you up," he said, his smile growing at my anger.

"What? You've all been lying to me?" How could they do that? Why would they do that? "Why?" Hank growled low in his throat at the tone of my voice and I knew he was trying to find a threat. "It's alright, boy."

"It was fun making up all these stories and we loved watching you fall for it."

"You were all in on it?" I asked, cursing them all as Donnie nodded, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, but don't sweat it, Ronnie. We were gonna tell you eventually," he said, waving Nana off when she went to scold him. "How about you let me take you to dinner and you can tell me all about your first few weeks here?" I gave a reluctant nod and pushed up from the ground and passed him to Alice, wrapping her in a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I move onto Esme, holding her closer and closing my eyes as she lets one of her cold hands run through my hair. "Thank you so much, Esme."

"It's no problem, sweetheart," she mumbles, pulling away and ushering Alice towards their car.

"Have fun," Alice calls, a twinkle to her voice as she waves goodbye.

I scrunch up my nose before climbing in the car, waving goodbye to Nana as she calls for Hank to follow her into the house.

* * *

I directed Donnie to The Lodge and introduced him to the owner as she took our orders and insisted that Donnie come once a week so she could see his cute smile - her words, not mine.

"Why did you decide to come here?" I asked, swirling my straw in my milkshake as I glanced at him across the table. Not that I wasn't happy he was here, it was just a surprise to see him.

"I've been planning on coming since you decided you wanted to move here," he said, dipping his fries into some ketchup. "I had a feeling that I should follow you." He shrugged as if it wasn't anything, but we both knew what his feelings meant.

The night our parents died, Donnie had a feeling and suggested we skip the orchestra and say I was sick. Dad didn't seem impressed with him and told him they'd talk about it when we returned. I guess they never did speak about it and I knew that haunted him.

"Where are you going to stay?" There wasn't room for him at Nana's considering it was only a two-bedroom. He wouldn't come here just to crash on her sofa either.

"There's an apartment duplex in town, I've managed to get a place there and it looks nice, might need a few decorations but that's what my sister's for," he teased, leaning over the table and nudging me.

"How are the others? Are they okay with you moving?"

"Ronnie, I'm an adult, I'm twenty-three, I don't need permission to move, unlike you," he said, giving that self-righteous older brother look you'd only know about if you had an older brother.

"And how does Jackson feel about it?" We all knew the two were joined at the hip seeing ass they were twins. Jackson and Donnie could be found everywhere together when I was younger and I had started to notice a slight distance between them since our parents' deaths.

"He's focusing on Emma and the wedding," he muttered, shrugging as if it didn't bother him. And I suppose it didn't. That's where Donnie and Jackson were complete opposites. Jackson loved Emma and couldn't wait to get married whereas Donnie wasn't really one for a long term relationship.

"When are they getting married again?" I asked knowing he hated when the wedding was mentioned.

"In the summer," was his answer and I knew he wouldn't give the exact date. He'd rather the world ended than see Jackson marry. Not that there's anything wrong with Emma, she was a lovely girl, but Donnie hated the thought of losing Jackson in any sense.

"Shall I stop talking about it?" I asked, smiling as I watched him roll his eyes and grumble under his breath.

"I heard Bella's truck is going into the garage to get fixed. How are you planning on getting to school?"

Right, I hadn't even thought about that. To be fair, going to school was the last thing on my mind.

"Do you think it would matter if I went to school? Technically I've already finished school, I was in the sixth form and getting ready to go to uni," I said, knowing exactly what Donnie would say.

"Ron, you were in college for less than two months before the accident. I think it's best you stick to the school and then you'll get straight into a university," he replied, sipping at his coke as he shrugged. "Plus they call it college here."

"Yeah, I know." I slumped in my seat, tapping my fingers on my plate next to my burger as I thought about walking into school tomorrow. It wouldn't take too long, we'd be there under an hour but we'd both have to take it slow in case we tripped over each other, cause I bet that could happen, "I guess we could walk in."

"Look, why don't you take dad's car and I'll grab a lift from Chief Swan in the morning and look for a new car." I shook my head at Donnie, hoping he'd understand why I didn't want dad's car.

"Mate, I can't even drive!" I exclaimed, shifting as a few people glanced at us. "You keep the car and give us a lift in."

"I'll still be working when you finish school. Look, take the car and get Bella to drive it for you until you get your license." He held his hand up and shook his head as I opened my mouth. "Don't bother arguing with me Squirt, you're taking the car."

* * *

I woke early the next morning, feeling an ache in my body as I struggled to roll out of my warm bed. I couldn't wait for the weekend and grumbled in annoyance when I realised it was only Wednesday.

After a fast shower seeing as I washed my hair last night, I grabbed some thick tights and pulled them on, groaning as they tried to cling to my still damp legs. With my tights securely in place, I threw on a white jumper dress and slid a black belt to accent my curves. I grabbed my backpack and my boots and made my way downstairs where I could smell bacon.

"Morning, sunshine!" Donnie called, sliding a plate of bacon, eggs and toast in front of me. I frowned in annoyance at his loud voice and happiness. Who could be happy in the morning? I could never trust someone this happy in the morning. "Bella should be on her way round soon. I spoke to Chief Swan and he's happy to give me a lift in and he said he'd send Bella over after breakfast."

"Whatever," I grumbled, stabbing my bacon and stuffing it in my mouth. I had barely gotten through my pile of bacon when there was a knock at the door and Bella clambered in, dropping her backpack on the floor.

"Are you ready for today?" she asked, knowing there'd be people crowding around due to the accident yesterday.

"Not really, but there's nothing I can do," I said, scooping my eggs onto my toast and folding it into a sandwich. "Come on, let's go." I nodded, grabbing the keys to the car as I followed her into the hall, pulling my backpack onto my shoulder.

"Are you sure I can drive your car?" She sounded unsure but rolled her eyes when I gave her a look. "Right, yeah, you can't drive."

"Bells, don't worry about it, at least we won't be walking to school."

"This car draws attention," she grumbled sliding into the driver's seat. I laughed as I joined her in the car, giving her another pointed look.

"Bella, your truck was a bright orange monstrosity. This is just as eye-catching," I told her, sliding on my seat belt and munching on my egg toast sandwich. "We'll have their attention on us anyway, because of the accident."

"Best to get it over with then," Bella said, pulling away from the house and driving down the familiar road to school.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading xx**


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